A typical umbrella includes a canopy that is comprised of multiple panels of flexible material mounted on a folding frame. A handle is attached to the folding frame. The panels of flexible material are waterproof or at least water repellant. The panels can be opaque or transparent.
Most umbrellas have a frame and canopy that is generally dome-shaped. However, the canopy can take many different configurations. Some canopies are more curved than others. Thus, some canopies form only a portion of a dome, while other canopies are fully dome-shaped, meaning they form half of a sphere. Still other canopies can be shaped such that they form a full dome (half of a sphere), and the edges of the canopy then extend downward from the dome in a somewhat cylindrical shape. Such a canopy can provide greater amounts of protection for an individual under the canopy.
If the canopy forms only a portion of a dome, it is usually easy for an individual under the umbrella to see outward from under the edges of the canopy. However, if the canopy forms a complete dome, and includes edges that extend downward from the dome, it can be difficult for an individual under the canopy to see outward from under the canopy, because the lower edges of the canopy may be positioned level with or below the individual's eyes. For this reason, such umbrellas may have a canopy formed from a transparent flexible material, so that an individual under the canopy can see through the canopy.
While an umbrella with a transparent canopy allows a user to see outward, it also allows people outside the canopy to see inward to the interior of the umbrella. This could be considered disadvantageous under certain circumstances. For example, a celebrity or other public figure, walking in public, may desire privacy. A canopy that prevents people from seeing inward to the interior of the umbrella could be desirable under such circumstances. However, if the canopy is made from an opaque material that prevents people outside the canopy from seeing inward into the interior of the canopy, the opaque panels would also make it difficult for the individual under the canopy from seeing outward.